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CHOOSING A REPUTABLE HOST

Choosing a reputable host is an important step when determining where to host a web site. Since switching providers is an errand in itself, it is important that you assess the quality of a web host before signing up with them.

How do I choose a hosting company?

Here are some of the clues to a reputable company:

• Number of years in business -
  It is recommended that it has at least five years of experience.
• Network technology -
  Does the hosting provider offer power and UPS backup? What type of backbones does it employ?
• Technical support -
  Does the hosting provider offer 24 hour phone support?

You might be wondering why "Customer Testimonials" is not one of the clues. The reason is that these testimonials may not be heavily visited sites, or web sites that are 'optimized' for testimonial purposes. Therefore, we do not believe it is an accurate reflection of the quality of a web host.

Why is there such a wide difference between how much it costs to host web sites?

As with most other products, what you pay is what you get. Cheap hosts usually provide little or no tech support. Web hosts charging premiums have a stable backend and provide 24 hour technical support for its customers.

It may be difficult to visualize the difference in quality between cheap and quality web hosts when a web site is up. However, premium hosting companies are able to prove that they are worth the premium when a server is down. These types of companies are usually able to fix these problems more quickly and respond to their customer's concerns.

Can you recommend some web hosting providers?

Yes! Our web host sponsor, EasyHost has been in the industry since 1997. Their network is stable and reliable. Their 24 hour toll free tech support has been most helpful.